Vikings Evidently Have a "Chef" on the Field

Have you enjoyed watching Sam Darnold cook during the last two games?

Vikings Evidently Have a "Chef" on the Field

That's because the Minnesota Vikings apparently have a "chef" in the 27-year-old quarterback, says The Herd's Colin Cowherd.

Cowherd used his show this week to compare Darnold to his purple predecessor, Kirk Cousins, and called Darnold a "chef," whereas Cousins is a "baker."

"I always felt if you compare Sam Darnold to Kirk Cousins it would be like comparing a bake off to the iron chef. Baking is more formulaic, following directions, precise, more science. Chefs, it's more about improvisation, adapting, freestyling. It's more art," Cowhered revealed his cooking analogy. "Both are fine. Kirk Cousins is a baker, Darnold is more the chef."

Darnold, the chef, ranks fifth in the NFL per two games per EPA/CPOE , an efficiency metric measuring quarterbacks' wins added, and Cousins checks in at No. 15 after his team shocked the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

Cowherd continued, "A little reckless, a little more juice and flare and art. Cousins is about intense preparation. Getting to his spot. Again steady results. That's not what you get with Darnold. Darnold has a little Andrew Luck, though not as talented, and a little Carson Wentz, though not as reckless."

Darnold effectively replaced Cousins this season, as Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract in Atlanta via free agency. The Vikings also drafted J.J. McCarthy in April, but he tore his meniscus four months later, hitting the shelf for the entirety of his rookie season.

"He's an athlete, he improvs, he ad libs, more dramatic upscale touchdowns, but more ugly games. By the way, he's not obviously Brett Favre, but Brett Favre when he was in Minnesota was sort of like that. Brett Favre was a chef ... There's no question this offense has more juice. Kirk Cousins was steadier," Cowherd concluded.

Another prominent media personality, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, compared Darnold to a "virus" last week , so the descriptive nouns are hot and heavy.

The Vikings host the Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium in December, so barring injury, the world will view Cowherd's Chef vs. Baker comp in living color.

Minnesota hosts the Houston Texans this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium, a battle of unbeatens, and the Texans have never defeated the Vikings. They've failed in five attempts dating back to the Texans' conception two decades ago.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow . The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, 'The Sopranos,' Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.